Письмо 76
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From your three letters, looking at your sorrows, I see that you bring them upon yourself, presenting your zeal and jealousy towards me, and even more so you arm those who are opposed to your thoughts. Who demands such jealousy from you? You don’t use it for yourself, and you only lead others to sin. Do I need to preach about your zeal for me? It’s enough for you when you feel the benefit; – what do you care about others? Yes, I must tell you: what good is it to you when you are not peaceful and are always sedition for me? Am I teaching you that, while defending me, you would quarrel with others, and even more so with your boss? O. S... is telling you the truth, and my sister is also writing, and I also confirm to you: take my advice when it benefits you, and do not irritate others with it; if they saw in you the fruits of meekness, humility, patience and love, then perhaps they too would take advantage. And as they see in you disorder, confusion and resistance, they believe: like the fruit, like the tree. When you don’t argue about me and irritate them, then you won’t have any sorrow, you’ll be calm.
Likewise, your arrival here, I cannot say, was useful to you, and even with sedition and resistance; submit more to the will of God; when this happens, then all obstacles will be removed. And what is the use of this with reproaches that you will ask A..., and that he will allow you to ride; and if the opposite might turn out to be the case, they might even ban you from driving altogether: you don’t understand that. Do everything with anticipation, patience and humility: you will gain more benefits. Words about. S.... you took it for the worse in vain: they are said very simply, and tend to your spiritual structure, and not to anything spiritual; leave your opinion. And be peaceful to your auntie; when you reproach yourself and not others, you will be at peace.
Your spiritual burden, melancholy, and so on come from accepting your imaginary consolation and imaginary heavenly blessings - through the action of the enemy, and not from grace. You have been deceived by them, and therefore you are not reaping the spiritual fruit of peace and tranquility, but one that is contrary to burdens, confusion and disorder; The fault of delusion is your opinion about yourself and about your corrections, for which you accept punishment. God wants us to be humble: God will not despise a contrite and humble heart. Even if we have had great corrections, when we do not have a contrite and humble heart, we will fail to take advantage of them. The Lord Himself commands: “Even if you do all that is commanded, say, as we are unworthy servants: as we ought to do, even as we have done” (Luke 17:10). Resign yourself to everything, and you will see how you calm down. You see others hindering you, but in vain: I have already written to you that you yourself are giving the reason for this not through humility, but through resistance. October 11, 1847.
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